Fort Worth officer fatally shoots armed man

A man with a gun was shot and killed by a Fort Worth police officer after an overnight disturbance.

It happened around 1:30 a.m. Friday near the corner of 5th and Houston streets in the downtown area.

Police said the man had a gun and was threatening others. He allegedly ignored orders to drop it and police believed he was about to fire.

One officer fired shots and the man was hit at least once. He was taken to a hospital, where he later died.

Family members identified him as Phillip Vallejo. They said he was out celebrating his birthday.

Those who were with him at the time claim he was trying to put the gun away when the officer shot him in the back.

They shared cellphone video that shows first responders treating what appears to be a wound behind his shoulder, Vallejo's family said.

They have questions and want answers about why he was shot.

“Yes, he had a gun, but he was not pointing it at anyone,” said witness Teresa Merele. “He was not doing anything with it. He put it up.”

Police say officers observed two groups in an argument. Friends of Vallejo confirm that it started when some guys said something about Vallejo's wife.

“There's these guys, you know, getting on to her, and he said some words to them,” said witness Rogelio Alcala. “They exchanged words.”

Alcala says he tried to separate Vallejo from the other group.

“He was still arguing with the guys, and I remember trying to calm him down, and I was trying to calm him down and that’s when the cop came on the bike out of nowhere,” said Phillip Vallejo’s wife, Brenda.

The Fort Worth Police Department said the officer involved will be placed on administrative leave during an investigation.

He is a 23-year veteran assigned to the downtown bike patrol unit.

Vallejo was out celebrating his 30th birthday. He was a father of four.

FOX 4 found a couple of misdemeanor offenses in Vallejo's past from nine to 10 years ago, but nothing violent and nothing recent.

It’s unclear why he had a gun or if he held a CHL permit to carry.

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